dear friends u all must have seen pouches of silica gel in boxes of different new items as a DESICCANT.i was wondering if we place similar 2-3 pouches within the box carrying the handgun or the drawer in which we keep our handgun....will it be suitable nd will it help in decreasing the amount of moisture as to prevent firearm from rust ???
ur comments and suggestions plz
thx n regards

Glocky

11-11-2009, 09:06 PM

Yes it does help in lowering the humidity and moisture levels, just remember to replace them after say 6 months as once the silica gel becomes saturated with moisture it will release the moisture back again. There are also some packs available which change color to indicate when they are saturated, they can also be recharged by placing in an oven.

Desiccants are normally available with chemists and photography equipment shops.

Starfish

11-11-2009, 09:08 PM

it will help only if the box remains airtight.

Ahsanfurqan

12-11-2009, 01:42 AM

@glocky:thx sir
well if the gun is in holster and placed in a drawer will it work if v place a big pouch or 3-4 pouches in drawer?

Glocky

12-11-2009, 09:05 AM

@glocky:thx sir
well if the gun is in holster and placed in a drawer will it work if v place a big pouch or 3-4 pouches in drawer?

You are welcome mate. :)

As long as its not for long term storage and the storage is reasonably airtight, sure go ahead if it gives you peace of mind. I do the same with my guns and ammo. Just be sure to check once in a while. You can also put the gun in a ziploc bag along with some desiccant packs and place in a drawer. The only thing i would be careful is storing a gun in a leather holster. In old times blued guns would sometimes exhibit surface rust due to the moisture in the leather holsters. Though i have yet to experience it myself. YMMV

Basharat

12-11-2009, 10:23 AM

Some time back Tayabally in Karachi had some anti rust tabs (not silica gel pouches these seemed like little pieces of some metalic material) that you place with the weapon when putting it into long term storage, this is good for off-season storage of rifles and shotguns.

Ahsanfurqan

12-11-2009, 05:36 PM

thx for the worthy comments

Malik1

15-11-2009, 06:27 PM

And where do you buy them from bros? Are they available at guns shop?

Glocky

16-11-2009, 11:05 AM

Yes it does help in lowering the humidity and moisture levels, just remember to replace them after say 6 months as once the silica gel becomes saturated with moisture it will release the moisture back again. There are also some packs available which change color to indicate when they are saturated, they can also be recharged by placing in an oven.

Desiccants are normally available with chemists and photography equipment shops.

@Malik1

12GAUGE

16-11-2009, 06:20 PM

dear friends u all must have seen pouches of silica gel in boxes of different new items as a DESICCANT.i was wondering if we place similar 2-3 pouches within the box carrying the handgun or the drawer in which we keep our handgun....will it be suitable nd will it help in decreasing the amount of moisture as to prevent firearm from rust ???
ur comments and suggestions plz
thx n regards

you see, silica gel has good moisture absorbing ability there is no doubt about that. but thing is that dessicant packs are used to absorb only the moisture trapped within an enclosed space. if u put silica gels in an enclosed space they will absorb the moisture but if u put them in a open type enclosure (not sealed) they will serve no purpose as they'll absorb the moisture present in the atmosphere and will be fully saturated in no time. same thing happens with oxygen scavengers, they'll only work if packed inside a sealed enclosure. in open they'll just run out of juice without offering any benefit.

the best solution would be to decide first the storage period. if its a normal day to day kinda gun then better stick with plain old gun oil. just remember to re-coat after 10-15 days. if its some sorta novelty item with u keep to show off to ur friends th en u might wanna consider a more eloborate solution. kindly search this form for firearms storage horizons and solutions.

as far as getting silica is concerned, well, most scientific supply stores have them at3 rupees for 3 grams and 4 rupees for 5 grams packs. however I can direct u to some silical suppliers that supply it at 500 rupees a k.g. alot cheaper and u'll have plenty to atleast get some decent open air moisture absorption.

another solution would be to install a small bulb to provide enough heat to raise the temperature of the sorrounding environment. this will prevent any condensation inside the drawer. solution is only feasible if u keep more than one handgun otherwise I think its a big of a hassle to install a heating source inside a drawer just to keep one gun.

250 gms of silica gell in gun cabinet in a pouch
and roasted for 2 hrs after every 3 months in a handi over choolha
instead of replcement b/c new silica gel also needs reactivation before commissioning so why not recommission the old one and save money

plz try 2 use silica gel with pigment indicator

a good quality oxygen buster is also recommended
like pouches of 500 gms finely ground charcoal replaced every 3 months

Enigmatic Desires

28-06-2010, 04:54 PM

I used to save the gel pouches and change em evey few weeks if/when i remembered or had the time

Amjad Ali

01-07-2010, 02:19 PM

salam to all members to use silica gel in the case of gun to store , it`s realy good thinking , few year ago this product was available in cotton (cloth) packing but now a days it`s available in paper packing which is not long life , but something is better then nothing .